NameCensus.

UK surname

Whitrow

In the 1881 census there were 80 people recorded with the Whitrow surname, ranking it #22,225 among surnames in the records. By 2016, the modern count was 136, ranked #25,377, down from #22,225 in 1881.

The strongest historical links point to Bristol City: St Mary Redcliff, Bedminster and Barking. In the modern distribution records, the strongest local clusters include Neath Port Talbot, Mid Devon and Cherwell.

Across the surname records, the highest recorded count for Whitrow is 138 in 2014. Compared with 1881, the name has grown by 70.0%.

1881 census count

80

Ranked #22,225

Modern count

136

2016, ranked #25,377

Peak year

2014

138 bearers

Map years

6

1891 to 2016

Key insights

  • Whitrow had 80 recorded bearers in 1881, making it the #22,225 surname in that year.
  • The latest modern count shown here is 136 in 2016, ranked #25,377.
  • Within the historical census years, the highest count was 117 in 1911.
  • The contemporary neighbourhood profile most associated with the surname is Rural Amenity.

Whitrow surname distribution map

The map shows where the Whitrow surname is concentrated in each census or modern distribution year. Darker areas mean a stronger local concentration.

Distribution map

Whitrow surname density by area, 2016 modern.

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Lower densityMedium densityHigh density

Timeline

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Whitrow over time

The table below tracks recorded surname counts and rank from the 19th-century census years through the modern adult-register period.

Year Period Count Rank
1851 historical 51 #24,096
1861 historical 47 #28,023
1881 historical 80 #22,225
1891 historical 116 #21,766
1901 historical 110 #21,604
1911 historical 117 #20,757
1997 modern 131 #22,927
1998 modern 134 #23,202
1999 modern 135 #23,279
2000 modern 133 #23,462
2001 modern 131 #23,343
2002 modern 125 #24,492
2003 modern 121 #24,776
2004 modern 120 #25,078
2005 modern 124 #24,529
2006 modern 119 #25,413
2007 modern 126 #24,860
2008 modern 125 #25,249
2009 modern 122 #26,220
2010 modern 132 #25,519
2011 modern 128 #25,793
2012 modern 130 #25,559
2013 modern 137 #25,149
2014 modern 138 #25,218
2015 modern 136 #25,352
2016 modern 136 #25,377

Geography

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Where Whitrows are most common

Historical parish links are strongest around Bristol City: St Mary Redcliff, Bedminster, Barking, St Philip and Jacob and St Pancras. These are the places where the surname stands out most clearly in the older records.

The modern local-area list points to Neath Port Talbot, Mid Devon, Cherwell and Bristol. Treat these as concentration signals, not proof that every family line began there.

Some modern areas include a three-digit suffix, such as Leeds 110. The suffix is a small-area code, so it stays in the table while the prose uses the plain place name.

Top historical parishes

Rank Parish Area
1 Bristol City: St Mary Redcliff Gloucestershire
2 Bedminster Somerset
3 Barking Essex
4 St Philip and Jacob Gloucestershire
5 St Pancras London (North Districts)

Top modern areas

Rank Area District
1 Neath Port Talbot 003 Neath Port Talbot
2 Mid Devon 002 Mid Devon
3 Mid Devon 005 Mid Devon
4 Cherwell 008 Cherwell
5 Bristol 050 Bristol, City of

Forenames

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First names often paired with Whitrow

These lists show first names that appear often with the Whitrow surname in historical and recent records.

Modern profile

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Neighbourhood profile for Whitrow

Modern surname records can be compared with neighbourhood classifications. For Whitrow, this points to the kinds of places where the surname is most concentrated today.

These neighbourhood labels describe areas, not individual people. They are useful because surnames often cluster through family history, migration, housing patterns and local work. A surname can be strongest in one type of neighbourhood even when people with that name live across the country.

The UK classification gives the national picture. The London classification is more specific to the capital, where housing, age profile, tenure and population mix can look quite different from the rest of the UK.

UK neighbourhood type

UK Output Area Classification

Supergroup

Suburbanites and Peri-Urbanities

Group

Rural Amenity

Nationally, the Whitrow surname is most associated with neighbourhoods classed as Rural Amenity, within Suburbanites and Peri-Urbanities. This does not mean every Whitrow household fits that profile, but it gives a useful signal about where the modern surname distribution is strongest.

Read profile summary

Group profile

This Group comprises older parents or retirees, with no resident dependent children, and with the lowest residential densities in this Supergroup. Predominantly UK-born, residents typically live in detached houses, although others do live in semi-detached and terraced properties. The level of multiple car ownership is the highest in this Supergroup. Most houses are owner occupied although social renting is also present. Many concentrations occur in high amenity rural locations, such as Areas of Outstanding Natural Beauty.

Wider pattern

Pervasive throughout the UK, members of this Supergroup typically own (or are buying) their detached, semi-detached or terraced homes. They are also typically educated to A Level/Highers or degree level and work in skilled or professional occupations. Typically born in the UK, some families have children, although the median adult age is above 45 and some property has become under-occupied after children have left home. This Supergroup is pervasive not only in suburban locations, but also in neighbourhoods at or beyond the edge of cities that adjoin rural parts of the country.

London neighbourhood type

London Output Area Classification

Supergroup

Professional Employment and Family Lifecycles

Group

Established Homeowners with Children

Within London, Whitrow is most associated with areas classed as Established Homeowners with Children, part of Professional Employment and Family Lifecycles. This gives the surname a London-specific profile rather than forcing the capital into the same pattern as the rest of the country.

Read profile summary

Group profile

These predominantly British-born residents are typically married/in civil partnerships and own the properties in which they are raising their children. Parents are typically over 45, and many other residents are beyond normal retirement age. Detached and semi-detached houses predominate and multiple car ownership is common.

Wider London pattern

These neighbourhoods house people of all ages, predominantly of White British or European extraction. Resident turnover is low. Religious affiliation is less common than average and tends to be Christian if expressed. Homeownership, typically of terraced houses, is common but use of the social rented sector is not. Employment is typically in professional, managerial and associate professional or technical occupations. There are few full-time students. Level 4 qualifications are common. More households lack dependent children than have them which, considered alongside low levels of crowding and over-all age structure, indicates that many households may be post child-rearing and in late middle age. Incidence of disability is low, as is residence in communal establishments.

Healthy neighbourhoods

Access to healthy assets and hazards

Whitrow is most concentrated in decile 4 for access to healthy assets and hazards. This places the surname near the middle of the scale.

Lower deciles point towards weaker access to healthy assets or stronger exposure to local hazards. Higher deciles point towards stronger access and fewer hazards.

4
Lower access Higher access

Neighbourhood deprivation

Index of Multiple Deprivation

Whitrow falls in decile 8 for neighbourhood deprivation. This puts the surname towards the less deprived end of the index.

Decile 1 represents the more deprived end of the scale. Decile 10 represents the less deprived end.

8
More deprived Less deprived

Broadband speed

Fixed broadband download speed

The modern neighbourhood pattern for Whitrow is most associated with a typical fixed broadband download band of 25-30 mbit/s.

The scale below places that band in context, from slower local download bands through to faster ones.

5
Slower band Faster band

Area snapshot

Ethnic group estimate

Most common ethnic group estimate
White - British

This describes the area pattern most associated with Whitrow, not the ethnicity of every person with the surname.

1881 census detail

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Whitrow families in the 1881 census

These tables use 1881 census entries for people recorded with the Whitrow surname. Use the location tables for concentration, then the name and occupation tables for the people behind the surname.

Top counties

Total is the county count. Frequency and index adjust for local population size, so they are better concentration signals. Gloucestershire leads with 35 Whitrows recorded in 1881 and an index of 22.87x.

County Total Index
Gloucestershire 35 22.87x
Middlesex 11 1.41x
Somerset 10 7.96x
Hampshire 7 4.38x
Essex 6 3.90x
Monmouthshire 4 7.09x
Devon 3 1.85x
Northumberland 2 1.72x
Glamorgan 1 0.74x
Surrey 1 0.26x

Top districts and towns

Districts give a more local view than counties. Total shows raw records, while frequency and index show local concentration. Bristol St Philip Jacob in Gloucestershire leads with 15 Whitrows recorded in 1881 and an index of 104.09x.

Place Total Index
Bristol St Philip Jacob 15 104.09x
Bedminster 10 84.75x
Bristol St Peter 7 1272.73x
Barking 6 133.04x
St Pancras London 5 7.96x
Stapleton 5 172.41x
Bristol St James St Paul 4 78.43x
Bristol St Paul In 4 98.04x
St Woollos 4 63.49x
Bethnal Green London 3 8.85x
Islington London 3 3.97x
Kentisbeare 3 1363.64x
St Thomas Winchester 3 265.49x
North Shields 2 86.21x
Southampton St Mary 2 19.88x
Cardiff St Mary 1 13.37x
Fordingbridge 1 114.94x
Reigate Foreign 1 24.27x
South Stoneham 1 28.82x

Top female names

These are the female first names most often recorded with the Whitrow surname in 1881. Names are not merged, so initials, variant spellings and transcription quirks can appear as separate rows.

Name Count
Maria 6
Mary 6
Sarah 6
Elizabeth 3
Ann 2
Emily 2
Florence 2
Ada 1
Alice 1
Anna 1
Annie 1
Eliza 1
Ellen 1
Emma 1
Ethel 1
Fanny 1
Jane 1
Jenny 1
Julia 1
Kezia 1
Louisa 1
Mabel 1
Susan 1

Top male names

These are the male first names most often recorded with the Whitrow surname in 1881. Names are not merged, so initials, variant spellings and transcription quirks can appear as separate rows.

Name Count
George 7
John 6
James 4
Thomas 3
Charles 2
Edward 2
William 2
Alfred 1
Benj. 1
Chas. 1
Edgar 1
Harry 1
Henry 1
Hy. 1
Jas. 1
Phillip 1
Samuel 1
Walter 1

FAQ

Whitrow surname: questions and answers

How common was the Whitrow surname in 1881?

In 1881, 80 people were recorded with the Whitrow surname. That placed it at #22,225 in the surname rankings for that year.

How common is the Whitrow surname today?

The latest modern count shown here is 136 in 2016. That gives Whitrow a modern rank of #25,377.

What does the Whitrow map show?

The map shows local surname concentration for the selected year. Darker areas have a stronger concentration of Whitrow bearers relative to the surrounding population.

What records is this surname page based on?

The historical counts come from census surname records. The modern counts and neighbourhood summaries come from later surname distribution records. Counts are recorded bearers in those records, not a live estimate of everyone with the name today.